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Our Broker/Salesmen and Staff
Loren Schweizer - Salesman
Loren grew up in a boating family who rarely missed a weekend to cruise and fish the area around Fort Lauderdale. A self-professed “water-rat”, he ventured widely and frequently in his own 13-ft. Boston Whaler, from an early age, in order to fish, ski, dive, or to “just get out on the water for no particular reason.”
Upon acquiring an Engineering degree from Florida Atlantic University, he went to work for Bertram Yacht in their engineering department for a year or so and then joined the sales department. “The thirteen years I spent there provided a splendid opportunity to learn all aspects of proper boatbuilding & design, as well as the experience of dealing with customers from all over the U.S. as well as from around the world.”
Joining the world of brokerage, Loren has spent the last twenty years primarily with North, Central, and South American clients and has enjoyed their boating locales.
Along the way, sales and listings have included mostly powerboats from 31 to 167 feet, numerous refits in local as well as foreign yards, and a few years being involved with new DeFever sales & construction (China) and representing the Real Ships yard in Alabama that builds steel/aluminum expedition vessels.
Leisure pursuits over the years have included fairly competitive racing of bicycles, sailboats, motorcycles, and automobiles, all of which involve a certain drive and desire, qualities which Loren brings to bear on behalf of his Buyers and Sellers.
Lynne Maleta – Office Manager
Lynne hails from Des Moines, Iowa, and moved to South Florida in 1986. She worked in the commercial-development/construction industry until 1993, then took a two-year hiatus to raise her son. She launched her career in the marine/yacht brokerage industry in 1995, navigating her way up the ranks to become one the most competent office managers in the yacht brokerage industry. Lynne took a three-year break, beginning in 1999, for an opportunity in the private sector, then re-joined J. Woods Marine Group in 2002, where she runs a tight ship and handles the everyday operations of our state-of-the-art brokerage firm. Clients appreciate her professional skills—she’s known as the Queen of Multi-tasking around the offices—cheerful attitude and wonderful sense of humor.
Naturally, Lynne enjoys boating, as well as going to the beach, traveling, and needless-to-say… shopping. Plus, she’s a huge Miami Dolphins fan.
Diane Woods - Secretary
Diane, know to most of us as “D” was a native to Wantagh, Long Island and moved to Fort Lauderdale at the young age of twelve. After her education, she started in the marine/yacht brokerage industry the spring of 1986 and worked her way through the ranks of such firms as Rex Yacht Sales, Hatteras of Lauderdale, Striker Yachts, Mares Yachts then joined J. Woods Marine Group in 1989. She took a leave of absence in 1994 to enjoy motherhood with her son, Sean, a few years later when her boy was off to pre-school returned to the office on a monthly basis or when her assistance is needed and is a huge helper and hard worker during boat shows and surveys.
Diane’s other interests are in Real Estate where she has begun her Realtor career part-time for the past three years up to recently now she has taken a pro-active role putting in long hours. “D” is a fun loving family girl that enjoys boating, cooking, and traveling to her mountainside Colorado home in the woods to benefit from the beautiful pleasures of the Rocky Mountains which as she says, gives her the best of both worlds.
Johnny Woods – Broker/Owner
Johnny Woods hails from the northern climes of Syracuse, NY, where from an early age he developed a fondness for the water world. After graduating from a New England college, he embarked upon a two-year stint with Club Med, teaching snow skiing in the Alps and water skiing in the Caribbean. The experience abetted not only his foreign language skills, but also his appreciation for international cultures and people.
Johnny's long had a knack for boating, beginning with his youthful experiences on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River and eventually navigating the waters along the Eastern Seaboard then the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. Johnny cut his yacht broker's teeth with his brother Pete at Woods & Oviatt, which opened its doors back in 1973. In 1989, Johnny branched off and founded J. Woods Marine Group on a "lean and mean" philosophy, contending that operating with no more than four brokers at a time ensures personal care and attention for each of his clients.
While diligently working to put buyers and sellers together in a fair and competent manner, he believes in the adage "God gave us two ears and one mouth" - meaning that he does twice the listening and half the talking on behalf of both parties. Diane Woods, Johnny's wife, has herself been in the marine brokerage industry for 21 years, eight of those as an office manager. They compliment each other in that regard, entertaining clients before, during and after a sale. On the family front, they work well together handling three great kids, ranging from college students to a middle schooler. Away from the office, the Woods family enjoys traveling, skiing, flying (Johnny's also a pilot) and rooting for the professional sports teams of South Florida.
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